115 lines
6.4 KiB
Markdown
115 lines
6.4 KiB
Markdown
# A really-real time collaborative word processor for the web
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# About
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Etherpad is a really-real time collaborative editor maintained by the Etherpad Community.
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Etherpad is written in Javascript(99.9%) on both the server and client so it's easy for developers to maintain and add new features. Because of this Etherpad has tons of customizations that you can leverage.
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Etherpad is designed to be easily embeddable and provides a [HTTP API](https://github.com/ether/etherpad-lite/wiki/HTTP-API)
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that allows your web application to manage pads, users and groups. It is recommended to use the [available client implementations](https://github.com/ether/etherpad-lite/wiki/HTTP-API-client-libraries) in order to interact with this API.
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There is also a [jQuery plugin](https://github.com/ether/etherpad-lite-jquery-plugin) that helps you to embed Pads into your website.
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There's also a full-featured plugin framework, allowing you to easily add your own features. By default your Etherpad is rather sparce and because Etherpad takes a lot of it's inspiration from Wordpress plugins are really easy to install and update. Once you have Etherpad installed you should visit the plugin page and take control.
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Finally, Etherpad comes with translations into most languages! Users are automatically delivered the correct language for their local settings.
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**Visit [beta.etherpad.org](http://beta.etherpad.org) to test it live.**
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Also, check out the **[FAQ](https://github.com/ether/etherpad-lite/wiki/FAQ)**, really!
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# Installation
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Etherpad works with node v0.8, v0.10 and v0.11, only. (We don't support v0.6)
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## Windows
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### Prebuilt windows package
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This package works out of the box on any windows machine, but it's not very useful for developing purposes...
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1. [Download the latest windows package](http://etherpad.org/#download)
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2. Extract the folder
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Now, run `start.bat` and open <http://localhost:9001> in your browser. You like it? [Next steps](#next-steps).
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### Fancy install
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You'll need [node.js](http://nodejs.org) and (optionally, though recommended) git.
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1. Grab the source, either
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- download <https://github.com/ether/etherpad-lite/zipball/master>
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- or `git clone https://github.com/ether/etherpad-lite.git` (for this you need git, obviously)
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2. start `bin\installOnWindows.bat`
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Now, run `start.bat` and open <http://localhost:9001> in your browser.
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Update to the latest version with `git pull origin`, then run `bin\installOnWindows.bat`, again.
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[Next steps](#next-steps).
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## GNU/Linux and other UNIX-like systems
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You'll need gzip, git, curl, libssl develop libraries, python and gcc.
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*For Debian/Ubuntu*: `apt-get install gzip git-core curl python libssl-dev pkg-config build-essential`
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*For Fedora/CentOS*: `yum install gzip git-core curl python openssl-devel && yum groupinstall "Development Tools"`
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*For FreeBSD*: `portinstall node, npm, git (optional)`
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Additionally, you'll need [node.js](http://nodejs.org) installed, Ideally the latest stable version, be careful of installing nodejs from apt.
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**As any user (we recommend creating a separate user called etherpad):**
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1. Move to a folder where you want to install Etherpad. Clone the git repository `git clone git://github.com/ether/etherpad-lite.git`
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2. Change into the new directory containing the cloned source code `cd etherpad-lite`
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Now, run `bin/run.sh` and open <http://127.0.0.1:9001> in your browser.
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Update to the latest version with `git pull origin`. The next start with bin/run.sh will update the dependencies.
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You like it? [Next steps](#next-steps).
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# Next Steps
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## Tweak the settings
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You can initially modify the settings in `settings.json`. (If you need to handle multiple settings files, you can pass the path to a settings file to `bin/run.sh` using the `-s|--settings` option. This allows you to run multiple Etherpad instances from the same installation.) Once you have access to your /admin section settings can be modified through the web browser.
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You should use a dedicated database such as "mysql", if you are planning on using etherpad-in a production environment, since the "dirtyDB" database driver is only for testing and/or development purposes.
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## Helpful resources
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The [wiki](https://github.com/ether/etherpad-lite/wiki) is your one-stop resource for Tutorials and How-to's, really check it out! Also, feel free to improve these wiki pages.
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Documentation can be found in `docs/`.
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# Development
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## Things you should know
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Read this [git guide](http://learn.github.com/p/index.html) and watch this [video on getting started with Etherpad Development](http://youtu.be/67-Q26YH97E).
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If you're new to node.js, start with Ryan Dahl's [Introduction to Node.js](http://youtu.be/jo_B4LTHi3I).
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You can debug Etherpad using `bin/debugRun.sh`.
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If you want to find out how Etherpad's `Easysync` works (the library that makes it really realtime), start with this [PDF](https://github.com/ether/etherpad-lite/raw/master/doc/easysync/easysync-full-description.pdf) (complex, but worth reading).
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## Getting started
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You know all this and just want to know how you can help?
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Look at the [TODO list](https://github.com/ether/etherpad-lite/wiki/TODO) and our [Issue tracker](https://github.com/ether/etherpad-lite/issues). (Please consider using [jshint](http://www.jshint.com/about/), if you plan to contribute code.)
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Also, and most importantly, read our [**Developer Guidelines**](https://github.com/ether/etherpad-lite/blob/master/CONTRIBUTING.md), really!
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# Get in touch
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Join the [mailinglist](http://groups.google.com/group/etherpad-lite-dev) and make some noise on our busy freenode irc channel [#etherpad-lite-dev](http://webchat.freenode.net?channels=#etherpad-lite-dev)!
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# Modules created for this project
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* [ueberDB](https://github.com/Pita/ueberDB) "transforms every database into a object key value store" - manages all database access
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* [channels](https://github.com/Pita/channels) "Event channels in node.js" - ensures that ueberDB operations are atomic and in series for each key
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* [async-stacktrace](https://github.com/Pita/async-stacktrace) "Improves node.js stacktraces and makes it easier to handle errors"
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# Donate!
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* [Flattr] (http://flattr.com/thing/71378/Etherpad-Foundation)
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* Paypal - Press the donate button on [etherpad.org](http://etherpad.org)
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* [Bitcoin] (https://coinbase.com/checkouts/1e572bf8a82e4663499f7f1f66c2d15a)
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# License
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[Apache License v2](http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0.html)
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